1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle seat including a seat back and a seat cushion that are connected to each other via a seat reclining mechanism. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vehicle seat including a seat back and a seat cushion that are connected to each other via a seat reclining mechanism in which the seat back and the seat cushion are covered with outer covers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, a known vehicle seat includes a seat cushion and a seat back.The seat cushion is constituted of a cushion frame, a pad attached to the cushion frame, and a skin layer or outer cover that covers or encloses the pad. Similarly, the seat back is constituted of a back frame, a pad attached to the back frame, and a skin layer or outer cover that covers or encloses the pad. The back frame of the seat back is rotatably connected to the cushion frame of the seat cushion via a pair of seat reclining mechanisms so that the seat back can be tilted. In addition, the vehicle seat includes a pair of outer shield members or outer caps. The outer caps are positioned on the outer surface of the cushion frame so as to conceal the seat reclining mechanisms.
The outer cover of the seat back is formed with a pair of side openings that are positioned on the lower portion thereof. Each of the side openings has a shape corresponding to the profile of the seat reclining mechanism. In addition, the outer cover is formed with a rear transverse slot. The slot extends between the side openings and is continued to or joined with the side openings at a joining portion. The outer cover thus constructed is placed over the pad attached to the back frame through the rear slot such that the seat reclining mechanisms are positioned or received within the side openings.
Generally, the inner surface of the outer cover is provided with a pair of reinforcing devices such as plastic plates or flat fasteners. These reinforcing devices are disposed around the side openings so that the outer cover can be made rigid around the side openings. Thus, the outer cover can be effectively prevented from turning outward or inward along the side openings when the seat back is repeatedly tilted.
Such a known vehicle seat is taught, for example, by Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication Number 3-89700.